The Bledington Music Festival
The Bledington Music Festival is an annual music event which takes place over three summer evenings in the beautiful Cotswolds. We play host to top class performers from all over the world.
Our next festival will be on June 5th, 6th and 7th, with the usual start time of 7.30pm. The 2017 Music Festival took place on 6th, 7th and Thursday 8th June, read about it here.
Each summer, an increasing number of music lovers make their way to St Leonard’s Church, Bledington, a little village in the heart of the Cotswolds just 10 minutes from Stow-On-the-Wold and 40 minutes from Oxford. There are so many lovely places nearby, it’s worth staying a few days for a relaxing mini break.
We are also big supporters of Music in Education, you can find out more about how the musicians take the time to interact and introduce and enrich the musicality in students of Bledington School.
We hope you will join us for the next festival. You can purchase tickets through our online booking form.
News and Updates
Festival on Facebook
Buy your tickets from Bledington Village Hall today between 10.30am and 12 noon - have a coffee while you are there!
Part of this year's festival - a bonus concert on a Bicycle (ok - he isn't performing on the bike just arriving on it!) We hope you can make it.
Song Cycle 2018 - Bledington - 7 June 2018
evensi.uk
7 June, 11:00 AM - Bledington Music Festival - Bledington - United Kingdom - En route from John O' Groats to Land's End on his Brompton folding bike, baritone David Jones pauses to sing Vaughan Wil...Serving refreshments at National Trust property Chastleton House tomorrow - in the church next door. Pray for sun! 😎 (otherwise it's cake for every meal!)A great day at Chastleton raising funds for Bledington Music Festival 2018.
Festival 2018
June 5th
Tues 7:30 PM · St Leonard’s Church
Alissa Firsova & Daniel Rowland: “A Romantic Sequence”
Our opening concert of 2018 sees the return of young composer, conductor and pianist Alissa Firsova alongside Daniel Rowland on the violin. More details to follow.
June 6th
Wed 7:30 PM · St Leonard’s Church
Duo Cann 4 Hands 1 Piano
The enigmatic Cann twins return to the festival for our Wednesday concert, playing pieces for two pianists on only one piano! This will include a specially composed piece to be performed with the brass players and choir from Bledington Primary school.
June 7th
Thurs 7:30 PM · St Leonard’s Church
Clare Hammond
Acclaimed as a pianist of “amazing power and panache” (The Telegraph),
Clare’s programme will include works by Haydn, Schubert, Debussy, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Stravinsky.
June 7th – Free Morning Concert
Thurs 11:30 AM · St Leonard’s Church
Coffee from 10am
David Jones – Baritone
DAVID’S ‘SONG CYCLE’ project, includes Vaughan Williams – Songs of Travel, plus other songs by local composers.
David will be cycling from John O’Groats to Lands End in aid of the charity and giving his song recital at venues and festivals along the way. We are pleased that he has chosen Bledington and we can showcase Gloucestershire composers such as Howells, Finzi and Ivor Gurney.
There will be a Retiring Collection for the charity ‘LIVE MUSIC NOW’ – founded over 40 years ago by Yehudi Menuhin and Ian Stoutzker CBE.
“Music, amongst all the great arts, is the language which penetrates most deeply into the human spirit, reaching people through every barrier, disability, language and circumstance. This is why it has been my dream to bring music back into the lives of those people whose lives are especially prone to stress and suffering… so that it might comfort, heal and bring delight.” – Yehudi Menuhin
LMN (Live Music Now) selects young, professional musicians who combine exceptional performing skills with special qualities of insight, generosity of spirit and flexibility. We enhance their skills through our distinctive approach to training and performance, and send them out into the community to perform for older people and children with special educational needs across the UK.
“..his deadpan sense of humour and immaculate timing proved irresistible”
– Opera Magazine
Festival tickets make wonderful gifts for music lovers.
Tickets are available now!
Already booked festival tickets and looking for somewhere to stay?
The King’s Head Inn
BLEDINGTON
An idyllic Cotswolds Pub, formerly a 16th century cider house. Gloriously situated on a picturesque village green. They offer a range of cosy and comfortable rooms, each full of character and all the mod cons.
Privately owned freehouse with a reputation for outstanding food and recent winner of Pub of Year award. Meals from 6pm, please book early.
Tel: +44 (001608 658365
25% Festival Discounted Room Rates. Contact for details – quote BF18
Horse & Groom
UPPER ODDINGTON
Situated in the heart of the Cotswolds, Stow Lodge Hotel is centrally located in the historic hill top town of Stow-on-the-Wold. The hotel overlooks the historic market square with its many interesting and unique shops and galleries.
The hotel has 20 comfortably furnished en-suite bedroom’s, situated in the main hotel.
Other well-known attractions such as Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle, the University town of Oxford and Stratford upon Avon are all within a forty five minute drive.
Tel: +44 (0)1451 830485
Free bottle of Fizz when you book direct – quote BF18
Stow Lodge Hotel
STOW-ON-THE-WOLD
Situated in the heart of the Cotswolds, Stow Lodge Hotel is centrally located in the historic hill top town of Stow-on-the-Wold. The hotel overlooks the historic market square with its many interesting and unique shops and galleries.
The hotel has 20 comfortably furnished en-suite bedroom’s, situated in the main hotel.
Other well-known attractions such as Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle, the University town of Oxford and Stratford upon Avon are all within a forty five minute drive.
Tel: +44 (0)1451 830485
Trinity House B&B
ODDINGTON
Trinity House is an established B&B in the village of Oddington, a quintessential Cotswold village with honey coloured stone cottages. There are two excellent pubs within walking distance. Conveniently located on a hillside with views over the surrounding countryside and the Evenlode valley – perfect location to explore Gloucestershire and the neighbouring counties of Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire and close to Bledington if you attend the popular annual Music Festival.
Tel: +44 (0)1451 831284
Music in Education
Each year we endeavour to get the local children enthusiastic about the music and the performers through our growing educational programme and we are very fortunate to have artists willing to get involved and perform special ‘mini’ concerts for pupils of local Primary Schools.
The involvement with the local school began in June 2005 when Catrin Finch visited with her harp. The next year Chloe Hanslip visited as did the Firsova Piano Trio.
We are extremely grateful that many of the musicians also give of their time to perform a concert especially for the local school children; this is always a much anticipated event and is part of our ongoing educational programme to expose children to various instruments and music. More info…
Festival Personnel
Rodney Beacham
FESTIVAL ORGANISER
The festival organiser has a wide range of duties including liaison with and booking of a variety of performers for each year’s Festival.
Catrin Finch
VICE PRESIDENT
Catrin began learning the harp at the age of five she has been delighting audiences worldwide since graduating from the Royal Academy of Music and Drama in 2002 during this time, Catrin was appointed Royal Harpist to HRH the Prince of Wales.
Thomas Trotter
PRESIDENT OF BMF
Appointed Birmingham City organist in 1983 in succession to Sir George Thalben-Ball. He is also Organist at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey, and Visiting Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music, London.
A Brief History
The Festival has grown since it was established in 2000 when Thomas Trotter, the current President, gave a recital at Bledington; the popularity of that occasion gave rise to this successful three day Music Festival.
Over the years the festival has welcomed many performers. Each concert is unique and outstanding, with world class artists – we are very grateful to have their support for our festival!
We have compiled a list of performers and musicians who have featured at previous festivals please click here to view the list …
The Concerts take place at:
St Leonard's Church
Church Street
Bledington
Gloucestershire
UK
Tel 01608 658669
Email Us
Our Sincere Thanks To All Of Our Supporters this Year
